Centrifugal nozzle with adjustable outlet vanes



March 20, 1956 CENTRIFUGAL w. J. CALDWELL 2,738,719

NOZZLE WITH ADJUSTABLE OUTLET VANES Filed Aug. 2. 1951 IN VENTOR WILLIAM J- CALDWELL ATTORNEY United States. Patgm ()v T" Willianrd. @aldwell, Independence, Mo. Application: August 2, 1951, Serial No; 239,930

6' Claims. (CI. 98440 This invention relates to centrifugal nozzles and in particular to a guide vane assembly for use on the inlet side and a multiple vane' assembly for use onthe discharge end of the air flow tube of a nozzle structure to guide and direct the airflow in and from the nozzle as well as control the, volume thereof.

It is an object ofthe'invention to provide an improved nozzle guide 'va'n'e assembly and nozzle construction which is particularly suited to the carrying out of the pressurized air conditioning system accordingto co-pending application Serial- No. 187,258, filed September 28, 1950, by providing; for the discharge of the pressurized and conditioned 'air' into aroom space with the air directed in a controllable manner and in a required amount.

It is another ob'ject ofthe'inve ntion to provide a pressure air-discharge nozzle'fh'aving a'g'uide vane assembly which is capable of? adjust fit to permit the how and discharge of the'pressur'e' air to take place" a controlled manner, inc'firding' control "of the air now into and through the nozzle assembly and the direction and volume of the discharged air.

These and further objects"- and-advantages of the invention will appear clear from a consideration of the following. description with referenceto the accompanying drawings in which: I i

Fig. I is avertical sectionof a nozzle assembly in accordance with the invention, the section'being taken on the line I--I- of Fig. H,

Fig. II is a sectional plan view on the line II1I of Fig. I, and i Fig. III is a plan view of the vane assembly.

In the drawings the nozzle assembly is shown as comprising a head 10 of voluteformation, providing an air inlet 12 and having a barrel 14 rotatably mounted therein, in its upper portion, the lower end of this barrel having an outwardly directed up-turned edge 16.

The barrel 14 has a peripheral slot 18 in its upper portion, which slot is arranged to register with the air inlet 12 to an adjustable extent by appropriate adjustable rotation of the barrel 14. In Fig. II the slot 18 is shown in full register with the inlet but it will be appreciated that the elfective size of the inlet may be reduced by rotary adjustment of the barrel from the position of Fig. II.

The volute head 10 has an outwardly directed flange 20, by which the nozzle assembly can be mounted in position, as in the ceiling of a room.

The barrel 14 is closed at its upper end'by the wall 22, which has rotary bearing relationship with respect to the upper end wall 24 of thevolute head, and from which barrel end wall 22 there is suspended an inner perforated tube assembly, indicated generally at 26, such suspension being conveniently effected by a screw bolt having a head 28 engaged beneaththe upper end wall 30 of the tube assembly 26 and having its stem 32 passed through registered openings in the walls 30, 22 andv 24 and screwthreaded to receive an affixingnut 34.

The perforated tube assembly 26 is shown as comprising an upper perforated tube 36 and a lower'perforated 2,738,719 Patented Mar. 20, 1956 2. tube 38' telescopedupon the lower end portion ofthe tube 36 and carrying at its lower end a cup 40 releasably and adjustably secured upon the perforated tube 38, as by a bayonet joint fitting, indicated at 42.

Supported upon the cup 40 thereis an air discharge guide vane assembly composed of a series of individual vanes 44, each of curved stream-line formation and presenting' a rounded leading edge 44a and a tapered trailing edge 44b. These vanes are individually mounted upon the cup 40 so as to extend radially across the lower end of the barrel 14. The vanes 44 are individually adjusted angularly; For this purpose each vane has a stud-like projection rotatably mounted inan opening in the cup 40 and for-medto receive a securing nut 46 on the interior of the cup, the latterbeing open at its ends to permit access to be had to these nuts. The studs define collar portions 50' which bear against the opposite surfaces of the cup 40. By loosening. the nuts it is possible to adjust the" angular setting of the vanes 44 to suit particular operating requirements and this with respect to the individual vanes and any portion, or portions, of the annular area covered by the vane assembly.

Thus, it is possible to set' the vanes over a selected are to lie in almost horizontal touching relation and thereby constrain the dominant air flow to take placethrough the remainder of the arcuate discharge outlet covered by the vane assembly. By levelling the vanes the pressure aircan be delivered in almost parallel relationship with respect to a wall. or ceiling surface whereas by setting the vanes into a vertical position it is possible to arrange for the pressure air to be directed downwardly at varying angles. This is a quite important consideration in connection with the pressurizing of rooms bythe c'o'nditioning system. disclosed in the aforesaid pending. application, it being understood that the adjusting. or constricting of the free opening between the consecutive vanes 40 and varying the degree of register of the slot 18' with respect to the air inlet 12 enables both the volume and the direction ofj the' a'ir' discharged fromthe vane assembly to be controlled. I

The perforated tubes 30 and 38' may be filled ,with an absorbent material to thereby present a sound absorbent surface to dampen or aftentuate noise.

The disposition of the assembly of vanes 40' with respect to the discharge end 16 of the barrel 14 may be varied by extending or retracting the tube 38 with respect to the tube 36, a friction fit between these two tubes being relied upon to retain the tube 38 in the axially adjusted position. Alternatively, this tube assembly may be constructed to have a fixed axial position and be so supported in position.

Fitted to the barrel 14, for rotary movement therewith in the annular space 52' defined between the volute head 10 and the upper portion of the perforated tube 36, there is a radially extending guide structure 54 having a vertical leading wall 56 disposed to extend tangentially with respect to the tube 36 and in a plane parallel with the tube axis, said guide structure having also a trailing wall 58 which is directed downwardly and rearwardly with respect to the circular motion of the air flow from the inlet 12 and guide wall 56 around the upper portion of the tube 3.

The guide wall 54 constrains the air flow to take place circumferentially around the tube 38 and eventually impinge against the inclined surface 58, which, by retreating downwardly from the direction of the air stream,

causes the stream to be directed downwardly beneath the following air stream to thereby avoid turbulence and provide a smooth rotary and spiral-like air flow downwardly through the barrel 14.

By fabricating the guide structure 54 as a hollow member from perforated metal and filling the enclosed space with soft sound absorbent material, or by making the entire guide structure of resilient material, such as fine cork, a sound absorbent surface is presented to the air ream entering the nozzle through the inlet 12.

It has been found that the use of this guide member 54 so improves the rotary air motion through the nozzle that the vanes 44 can be positioned lower in the barrel 14 without impairing the very fiat projectory of the discharging air stream, which can be made to pancake out parallel with the ceiling surface upon which the nozzle assembly is mounted. This feature is valuable, since the noise created by the noozle assembly is dependent upon the restriction at the openings between the consecutive vanes 44 and the lower edge 16 of the barrel 14.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as novel and Wish to protect by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. In a sound attenuating nozzle construction for pressurized air, a hollow casing structure having a portion defining a volute inlet and an air flow barrel, an opening in said barrel for registering with said volute inlet, means rotatably mounting said barrel at one end upon said volute inlet for varying the effective size of said opening, a cylindrical vane supporting structure within said barrel, the latter being opened for the discharge of the air at its end remote from its aforesaid end, vane means on said vane supporting structure and positioned at the discharge end of said barrel for controlling the discharge flow of the air through said end, said vane supporting structure defining an annular space with the interior wall of said barrel, air flow guide means within said annular space, said air flow guide means having a leading surface extending tangentially from said opening to the periphery of said vane supporting structure, and a trailing surface curving downwardly along said cylindrical wall support ing structure.

2. A nozzle construction as claimed in claim 1, said vane supporting structure being of sound attenuating construction.

3. A nozzle construction as claimed in claim 1, said vane supporting structure being composed of perforated tube sections, including a tube section telescoped upon another tube section and carrying said vane means, said telescoped tube section being axially adjustable to vary the position of said vane means with respect to the discharge end of said barrel.

4. A nozzle construction as claimed in claim 1, said vane means comprising a series of circumferentially arranged radially extending vanes and means mounting said vanes upon said supporting structure to permit individual angular adjustment of the vanes.

5. In an adjustable high pressure air nozzle, an outer cylinder having an inlet opening in its periphery for high pressure air, an inner sound attenuating cylinder, means mounting said inner cylinder within said outer cylinder to define an annular chamber within said outer cylinder, said inlet opening into said annular space at one end of said outer cylinder and said annular space defining an annular outlet opening at the opposite end of said outer cylinder for the discharge of high pressure air admitted into said annular space through said inlet, a vane assembly mounted on said inner sound attenuating cylinder at said outlet opening, said'vane assembly comprising separate vanes extending substantially radially from said inner sound attenuating cylinder across the annular outlet opening, and means mounting said vanes upon said inner sound attenuating cylinder so that the vanes are individually adjustable angularly with respect to said outlet opening.

6. In an adjustable high pressure air nozzle, an outer cylinder having an inlet opening in its periphery for high pressure air, an inner sound attenuating cylinder, means mounting said inner cylinder within said outer cylinder to define an annular chamber within said outer cylinder, said inlet opening into said annular space at one end of said outer cylinder and said annular space defining an annular outlet opening at the opposite end of said outer cylinder for the discharge of high pressure air admitted into said annular space throughsaid inlet, a separate cylinder portion telescopically adjustable upon the outlet end of said inner sound attenuating cylinder, vane elements on said separate cylinder portion extending radially across said annular outlet, and means adjustably mounting said vane elements upon said separate cylinder portion so that the vane elements are individually adjustable angularly with respect to said outlet opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

